Steve Aoki is returning to LIV Nightclub on South Beach. Aoki, who recently released a new track and has plans to drop a new album next year, will be mixing tracks alongside Waka Flocka and AutoErotique. His stop at LIV is part of his Aokify America Tour, which is set to finish in Vancouver, Canada, on Nov. 23. This is the second stop he makes at LIV as part of the tour.
The Miami Hurricane caught up with Aoki on the phone Wednesday, right before his scheduled stop to play at LIV on Friday night.
“I’ll be back at LIV and I hope everyone can get in and come rage out with me, in particular, to my latest track, ‘Bring You to Life,’” Aoki said in the interview.
The Miami Hurricane: What was the inspiration for your latest track, “Bring You to Life?”
Steve Aoki: “The process in making this track was a long one, we started in the studio a few years ago, it evolved later into transcend, which came out as in instrumental. Over the course of the following months, I wanted to find a great vocalist and great lyrics to the song. We got a great singer on there, it really is about bringing people to life with music, it’s what my sound is like … it’s very literal in that sense. The goal for me is to take people from a darker place and to find more magical place.”
TMH: What was it like working with Linkin Park?
SA: “It was a really exciting interesting process to work with Linkin Park , one of my favorite bands. I grew up listening to them. I’m a big fan and we always stand at his back and forth … These guys are very meticulous and very crafty about every single element of the song, whether it’s the song behind it or melody structures or lyrics it’s all a different kind of process. It’s complex; that’s why we ended up with a really great record that encapsulates both of our sounds.”
TMH: How did you feel about Wunderground’s blog post? I know you responded to it on your own website, but can you talk to me about it? (To read Wunderground’s post, visit wunderground.ie/steve-aoki-shocks-edm-community-by-admitting-that-he-is-not-an-actual-dj. To read Aoki’s response, visit steveaoki.com/wunderground-satire-statement).
SA: “I laughed out loud, and thought ‘wow this is so absurd, that this is just really funny.’ But then, I started seeing Instagram comments from people writing on my pictures … because Instagram comments are the things I probably read the most … People were commenting things like ‘fake; falso.’ I thought that this is crazy, it’s totally absurd, and they’re quoting me. Regardless of its satire, people can misconstrue this as a quote like I actually said … It sucked, it was really sad for me that my fans were people that heard my name and then thought ‘he’s not a real DJ and he’s been faking it.’ [DJing] is my life, I DJ in this culture and I push this music forward. I’ve been running Dim Mak Records for 18 years; there’s so much I’ve been doing to strengthen and make positive change in dance music culture and do something unique and it’s sad that people misconstrue that.”
TMH: What’s next for Dim Mak Records?
SA: “We just released the Waka Flocka board record … It was f***ing huge; amazing. As much as we are an album-driven label, we’re definitely tailored around singles as well. Dim Mak Records is releasing a single every Tuesday of every week. I post every single on my Instagram, so check it out.”
TMH: Are you excited to be back at LIV?
SA: “LIV is awesome, it’s a great club, it’s one of the best in the world. It’s a super high end club; they’ve adapted to my crazy antics they allow me to do all my crazy s**t and when people allow me to do that in their opulent environment, I get really happy.”
TMH: Is there anything else you think your fans at the University of Miami should know?
SA: “I’m finishing my album, ‘Neon Future,’ which is coming out next year. My next big goal is to have the whole album finished, musically and mixed. Hopefully I’ll have done all the production and mixing by the end of the year, and then deal with all the labels that are involved … There’ll be tracks with Snoop Dog, Linkin Park, Waka Flocka and Machine Gun Kelly.”
For more information on Dim Mak records, visit dimmak.com.
To follow Steve Aoki on Instagram, follow @SteveAoki.
For more information on the Aokify America tour, visit aokifyamerica.com. Ticket prices range from $75 to $90. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit wantickets.com/Events/135117/Steve-Aoki-Waka-Flocka-LIV/.